


Ice in their Veins

by Tomasina



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: 2014 Winter Olympics, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Olympics AU, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 18:29:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8220685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomasina/pseuds/Tomasina
Summary: Jack is an Olympic gold medalist back for a second time. Eric is a first time Olympic figure skater. They're cute boyfriends who support each other even when they fall.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all, Tomi here, this is my first time posting OMGCP fanfic so lmao cool hey. Uhhhh, in this AU all of the SMH is on the Canadian Olympic Hockey team because I wanted Bitty to be the only American don't look at me like that. Ummmm, I'm shipper trash and you can follow me on tumblr @halloweenbitty :) also I have no idea how figure skating is scored so I did an out of ten scale cause who has time for research!!
> 
> Pls leave some love !!
> 
> Note: I do not own any of the characters in the story and all rights belong to mother Ngozi

Eric Bittle arrived to the practice ice early. He knew teams had it scheduled starting at 5am. He got there at 4:30. 

He was tense, not only because his morning coffee hadn't fully set in, but because that night he was competing in the Men's Individual Final in figure skating, and he was favored to win silver. Silver. He didn't want silver. He wanted gold. He worked too hard and too long for second place. 

He put his skates on quickly before gliding out on to the empty ice. It calmed him, the smooth way the ice let him go. He stuck his headphones in his ears and queued up the music for his routine, 1+1 by Beyoncé followed by I Was Here, also by Beyoncé. Sure, it was unconventional for the Olympics, but so was he. He took a deep breath as he approached center ice. He dug his toe pick into it and stretched his arms gracefully out beside him. His starting position. He counted in his head as the song started, then he was off. 

He stumbled on his triple Lutz the first time through and almost fell on the salchow following his double axle on the third run through, but by the ninth time, he knew he had it. He had it perfect. 

He took out his headphones after the tenth run through only to hear a round of applause behind him. He whipped around to see the Canadian Mens Ice Hockey Team and one of their managers standing on the edge of the ice. He cringed a bit when he glanced at the clock and saw he was 10 minutes into their ice time. His heart leapt when he saw Jack Zimmermann. 

B. "Shitty" Knight was the first one to greet him on the ice. 

"Fuck, Bitty! You're gonna win gold so hard tonight!" Shitty pulled him into a hug as Eric laughed. He'd never understand hockey nicknames, or why the Canadian team had been compelled to give him one, but he didn't mind it, just as he didn't mind being their friend. 

Eric had met the Canadian team three years before when they all spent three months in a training facility in Massachusetts with a couple of Eric's other teammates, Alexa and Jesse. That's where Eric met Jack. They all hit it off and stayed in touch, meeting up as often as possible. They were Eric's best friends. 

"Sorry, y'all, for cutting into your ice time. Just got kinda caught up in it, y'know?" Eric's cheeks were red from the cold of the rink. 

"No problem, bruh." Holster laughed. 

"Yeah man, it's always an honor watching our favorite American, kick ass, eh?" Ransom was laughing too. 

"Alright guys let's go. Second line vs third line than first vs the winner. First line to score, wins. Go." Their manager, Larissa "Lardo" Duan was a small Vietnamese-Canadian woman who Eric was quite fond of. She played coach when the coaches weren't around, and she was good. 

Everyone but the first line skated out and started the scrimmage. Eric skated off the ice to a bench to untie his skates. 

"Hey." Eric almost jumped when he felt the hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Jack Zimmermann, captain of the Canadian Hockey team, Captain of the Providence Falconers, Stanley Cup winner, gold medal winner at age 16, second time Olympian, and his boyfriend of two years. Eric smiled. 

They both glanced around, but when they knew no one was watching them, Jack sat down beside Eric, taking his hand between them. 

"Hey, honey." Eric said it quietly, but loud enough for Jack to hear over the yelling of his teammates on the ice. 

"You looked so good out there, Bits. I swear if you don't win gold...." Jack trailed off, his thumb rubbing small circles on the back of Eric's right hand. 

Eric took his eyes off the ice to look up at Jack who was sitting closer than he expected. 

"Sweetheart, you're playing for gold in what? Seven hours? I've still got a whole twelve left to prepare! You should worry about your own gold, honey." Eric's voice was soft. 

"I've already won a gold medal. I've proven myself. Whether I win gold tonight or not doesn't matter. This is your first Olympics, Eric. If you can go out there and win gold on your first try? That'd be, I don't even have a word for it! Just, go out there and win gold for me, eh? And I'll be watching with your mom and Coach, and maman and papa will be here. It's going to be amazing Eric, I promise."

Eric took a deep breath. 

"And what if I don't win?" 

Jack's face softened as he squeezed Eric's hand. 

"I'll still kiss you, and tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of you anyway." 

Eric smiled softly as a blush spread over his cheeks. 

"I love you, too, sweetheart." 

Just then a whistle blew as the third line scored. 

"I'll text you when we're done here, alright? Meet up in the Village and we'll get a bite to eat." Jack was walking backwards away from Eric now, towards the ice. Eric just nodded, his eyes bright. Jack nodded back before grabbing his stick and taking off over the ice. Eric watched for a few moments as the second line filed off, saying hi to a few of them as they passed, before finally taking off his left skate. He tied the laces together and slung them over his shoulder as he walked out of the practice rink into the cool Russian morning air. 

He walked quickly to his room in the Olympic village, waving at his American teammates as he went. He swung open the door to his room, shut it, and collapsed on the bed, not quite realizing how tired he was. Most athletes had to share a room, but Eric was the only American male figure skater to qualify for the Olympics, so he got a room to himself. He was asleep in seconds. 

He was woken up again at 8:00am to a shifting weight on the bed and strong arms holding him. He slowly turned around and buried his face in Jack's freshly showered chest. 

"Sorry to wake you." Jack said softly into Eric's hair, his hand rubbing lines down his back. 

"'S'ok. Missed you." Eric mumbled into Jack, his eyes still closed. 

"I missed you too, mon cœur. Go back to sleep. We're gonna nap together, eh? I'll set my alarm to get us up at 9:00 so we can spend some time together before I have to head to the rink." 

Eric nodded into Jack's chest. Jack ducked his head and kissed him softly. Eric kissed back sleepily before rolling over again. Jack pulled him flush against him and hugged him tight. They fell asleep quickly. 

When the alarm went off, Eric thought he was in Providence, in his and Jack's shared apartment they had gotten that summer, tucked together as the alarm woke them up. His reality shifted when he opened his eyes to see the small beige room in a building filled with hundreds just like it. 

His head was now tucked into Jack's neck, their legs tangled below the sheets. 

"Jack," he yawned. "Cmon, sweetie, time to get up." 

Jack opened one eye as Eric reached to shut off the alarm. He used his hand not pressed between them to cup Jack's face softly. 

"Hi." Jack's smile was lazy, but happy. Eric kissed him. 

"Hey, sweetheart. We gotta go get something to eat now if you want to be able to play later and not pass out." Eric had a small grin playing on his lips, but he was deadly serious. 

Jack sighed and gave Eric a chaste kiss before rolling over and sitting up, his back facing his boyfriend who was still laying down, watching him. Eric sat up as Jack walked to where one of his suit cases was laying on the floor open. Eric wasn't assigned a roommate, that didn't mean he didn't have one. 

"Toss me my blue shirt and my jacket please, hun?" Eric was standing now, shirtless, his arms stretched high above his head, then he bent in half, his palms flat on the floor in front of his bare toes. He rolled his head in a wide circle once he was upright again. Jack was staring at him, holding Eric's shirt in one hand and his jacket in the other. 

Eric rolled his eyes and grinned, walking over to take his clothing from his boyfriend. The shirt was long-sleeved and navy blue with "Team USA" written in white below Eric's left collar-bone. The jacket was a tight windbreaker of the same blue with red and white accents, with "Team USA, Figure Skating" once again below his collar-bone. "Bittle" was written in white across his bicep. He zipped the jacket half way and pulled on his jeans and boots. Jack's outfit was almost identical to his, minus the white jacket with red accents, the name "Zimmermann" across his arm, "Team Canada, Ice Hockey" below his collar-bone, and the red shirt he was wearing underneath. Jack pulled a red team Canada hat on over his bed head as Bitty grabbed both their phones, wallets, and keys. Jack opened the door and they left walking side by side, their shoulders not quite brushing. 

They ran into Shitty, Lardo, Ransom, and Holster as they walked towards one of the Olympic Village 'food courts.' Those four also happened to be the only ones of their friends to know about their relationship. 

"Hey dudes," Shitty was grinning, and checking to see if anyone was within ear shot, "did you manage to get any sleep?" He winked. 

Eric felt a blush creep up his neck to his cheeks and ears. 

"As a matter of fact, yes. Not like it's any of your business." Eric was flustered. 

Shitty laughed and threw an arm over Eric's shoulder as they walked. 

"I'm just messing with you, itty Bitty." 

"Hey, he's not that short." Jack interjected from behind them. 

Shitty just chuckled to himself. 

They all carb-loaded when they finally got to the food court. Including Lardo, claiming she was 'going to be stressing herself out until after Eric's routine so she deserved it.' 

The Canadian team was scheduled to play Sweden for the gold at noon. Eric figured the game would end around 2:30-2:45. At four the girls would skate in the women's individual final, which Eric had to be there for to support his teammate Alexa who was favored for bronze, then at 6pm, Eric would skate against three others for the gold in the men's individual final. It was about become a very long day. 

At ten the boys and Lardo left for warm ups. Eric hugged them all good luck, but made sure to hug Jack the longest and kiss his cheek subtly as he let him go. Then he was alone in the cold. He called his mama. 

"Dicky?" 

"Hey, Mama, how's it goin? How's Coach?" 

"We're all good here, sweetheart. Just heading to the car now, where did you say we're meeting Bob and Alicia?" Eric's mother was a saint, but she could not remember plans for the life of her. Eric laughed into the phone. 

"Just park in the village lot and meet me in front of my building. We can go to the Zimmermann's all together. Okay?" 

"Alright, dear. See you soon. Love you." 

"Love you too mama, and Coach. Bye." 

The line cut off and Eric shoved his phone into his pocket, strolling slowly back to his building. 

"Eric!"

He whirled around to see Jack's parents 50 feet behind him, early and not in their meeting place. He'd never understand parents. He rushed to meet them. 

"Hello, Eric!" Alicia tugged him into a tight hug. 

"Hi, how are you?" Eric was hugging back. 

Alicia let go but held him momentarily, at arm's length, smiling at him. 

"We're doing great, if not a bit nervous about tonight. Hell, what do I have to be nervous for, you're the one competing!" Alicia's laugh was light and airy. 

Eric chucked before turning to Jack's father. He stretched out a hand in front of him. 

"How are you, Mr. Zimmermann?" 

"Bad Bob" Zimmermann rolled his eyes fondly before pulling Eric into a brief hug. 

"I'm fine, son. And Eric, we've talked about this, call me, "Mr. Jack's Dad."" Bob teased Eric about the first time they met at the training facility three years before. Eric's cheeks flushed. 

"So, you ready for tonight?" Bob asked as they walked to wear they were going to meet Eric's parents.

"I believe I am. As ready as I'll ever be at least. But with Jack skating in just an hour or so I won't be able to breathe until after he's got gold." Eric exclaimed. Alicia chuckled. 

Eric grinned and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it up off his forehead. He was going through his routine in his head but that's all he had been doing for the past week so it was no shock to him. He made small talk with the Zimmermann's until his parents arrived and they made their way to the Olympic Rink. There were already quite a few people filling up the stands as Eric, followed by his and Jack's parents, made their way to their seats. 

They had arrived quite early, but the hour passed quickly. There were now thousands of people in the crowd, watching the same ice Eric would be skating on in just a few hours. 

There was only twenty minutes till puck drop when Eric got the text. He quickly excused himself from his group and jogged to the hallway behind the locker room where Jack said he'd be. 

The hall was empty. Silent. 

"Jack? Honey you down here?" 

A door opened and closed behind him. He turned quickly and there was Jack, in full pads, his hair disheveled from wearing his helmet, the C on his shoulder stark white against the red of his jersey. He was holding a jacket. 

They watched each other for just a moment until they both rushed forward to meet in the middle. Eric rose to his tip toes as Jack wrapped his arms around Eric's back. Their lips slotted together instantly and Eric could feel Jack relax around him.  
They broke their kiss but still held on to each other. 

"You okay, sweetheart?" Eric asked softly, noticing the worried look in Jack's eyes. He cupped Jack cheek with his hand. 

"Yeah, I am now. I just- I'm their captain, y'know? I don't want to let them down." Jack closed his eyes and leaned into Eric's touch. 

Eric leaned forward and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to his lips. 

"Sweetheart, you're not letting anyone down. Even if you go out there and don't win, you still get silver, which is a lot to any athlete. People dream of silver, honey. This is the Olympics, Jack, you've done so much and you've made it so far. There's not a single person who could be disappointed in you for that. Even if you were a Zamboni driver for a PeeWee team I'd still be so proud of you."

Jack smiled at that. 

"Thank you, Eric. And uh, wear this while I'm playing?" Jack handed him his team Canada jacket. Eric smiled. 

"Awe honey, of course, now go out there and kick some ass, for me." Eric was grinning as he pressed their lips together one more time. 

"I love you." Jack said it as they untangled from each other and walked backwards going their separate ways. 

"I love you too, sweetheart. Good luck." 

_X_

Jack's parents were on him the moment he got back. 

"He's fine, I promise. He was a little anxious, but I think I managed to calm him down a bit. He seemed much better when I left." 

Alicia and Bob nodded at him before breathing sighs of relief. 

The Swedish team took the ice first, sections of the crowd around them cheering. But when the Canadian team took the ice? The place erupted with screams and applause. Eric stood up, shouting, now wearing Jack's jacket. They had good seats, first row directly aligned with center ice. When Jack skated by, he smiled at them. Eric almost swooned. 

The game was intense. The two best hockey teams on earth were going head to head and it was something truly beautiful to watch. It was also stressful. 

Jack got the first goal in the first five minutes of playing. When he scored, he cellied by skating down to one knee and pointing at Eric. Jack's and Eric's parents smiled at him, but Eric just blushed. 

Jack also got the second goal, in the second period. Eric could cry. The Canadian team was skating circles around Sweden. Jack took a hard check at the end of the second and was taken off the ice, but was back on in the third, completely fine. Eric swore he almost had a heart attack.

With two minutes left on the clock, Jack scored a third goal. The instant the buzzer went off, Jack was laying on his back on the ice, laughing. His teammates tackled him, Shitty was crying. Jack just got a hat trick in the Olympics, Eric was crying too.

The game was won then, they played until the clock ran out, but everyone knew Sweden had no chance. The Canadians had done it again. 

When the final buzzer rang, the Canadian team threw their sticks and formed a pile around their captain. Whatever team was left on the bench hopped it to join the celly. The team hoisted Jack above their heads as Eric left his seat to find Lardo. Lardo let him into the bench and they stood hugging each other and crying, watching Jack get tossed around the mob of hockey players. It looked like Jack was crying too. 

Eric stood against the bench wall, leaning out over the ice as the Canadian team finally skated by him towards the locker room. They each have him a fist bump as they went along, accepting his congratulations. 

Shitty, instead of fist bumping him, hugged him and pulled him out over the wall onto the ice. Ransom and Holster skated over and they all hugged, crying. Eric was still wearing Jack's windbreaker. 

When the last of Jack's teammates finally put him down, he skated to where Shitty was standing with Ransom and Holster. He didn't see Eric shuffling his way back to the bench trying not to fall in his boots until he turned his head and was crashing into him. 

They fell in a heap, Eric landing on Jack's chest and Jack on his ass. 

"What the hell- oh. Hey honey." 

"Eric?" Jack sat up as Eric scrambled off of him, sitting back on his heels on the ice. 

"Congratulations!" Was all Eric could say before Jack was hugging him. He would've rather kissed him, but this would do for now. 

Jack stood up quickly after their hug and helped Eric up. For as great a skater as he was, Eric was no match to slippery boots on the ice. 

He led Eric back to the bench and helped him jump over, he quickly hugged Lardo before taking a victory lap around the rink and going back to the locker room to prepare for the medal ceremony. 

The ceremony was quick and Eric cried the whole time. Jack had to wipe his eyes once while they put the medal around his neck, and again when the Canadian national anthem was playing as the flags rose into the air. 

The ceremony ended at 3, leaving Eric less than an hour until he needed to be back at the rink to watch the women with his team. 

Eric, his parents, and Jack's parents met Jack outside the locker room after the ceremony. Eric watched Jack first talk to his parents, thanking them for coming, then his own parents, hugging them then excusing himself. 

Jack made eye contact with Eric and Eric just nodded, following him out of the rink into the cool air. Eric shrugged off Jack's jacket and handed it to him. Jack took it wordlessly. Both of them had soft smiles on their lips.

When they were far enough way from the people and the cameras, safely in the back seat of the Zimmermann's rental car, Eric pounced. He cupped Jack's face and kissed the daylights out of him. He kissed him until not even his routine was on his mind, just Jack. Jack pulled Eric into his lap and Eric straddled him easily. 

Jack slipped his tongue into Eric's mouth and Eric moaned from deep in his chest. Jack moaned at the sound. 

When he ran out of breath, Eric broke their heated kiss and rested his forehead on Jack's shoulder. Jack buried his face in Eric's hair. 

"I'm so proud of you, Jack." Eric said suddenly picking his head up. 

Jack smiled as Eric reach out and lightly touched the gold medal resting on his boyfriends chest. 

"You're the best hockey player in the whole world, sweetheart." Jack opened his mouth to object but Eric kept going. "You got a hat trick in the Olympics! Who does that? You did! You did that, Jack! You are the captain of the best hockey team in the world and you scored a hat trick! Baby this is- this is unreal. I'm in love with a living, breathing, legend! You have no idea how proud I am of you, Jack." Eric leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. 

Jack kissed him. It was chaste and sweet and filled with so much joy. 

"I'm so in love with you." Jack whispered breathily against Eric's lips, their noses brushing. Eric just smiled and hugged Jack closer, if that were even possible. 

They stayed like that for a long time, sharing kisses and I love you's, embracing each other like they'd never get to do it again. 

When Eric checked his phone, he had ten minutes till he needed to be back at the rink. He sighed and dropped his head to Jack's neck. 

"Hey, Eric, look at me." 

Eric looked up and let his eyes meet Jack's. 

"I know I probably won't see you till after, but I just- I love you so much, mon cœur. More than anything in this whole world, and I know for a fact no one can beat you. You're unstoppable, Bitty." Jack paused to kiss him fiercely. Jack smiled when they separated. "That one was for good luck, but you're not gonna need it." 

Eric just kissed him back. 

_X_

When Eric got to the rink, his cheeks were red and his lips were swollen. Jack went to celebrate with his parents and the Bittle's until they had to be back at the rink at 5:30. 

Eric rushed to where his teammate Alexa stood watching a monitor. The girl from China was on the ice about to start her routine. Eric hugged her and they watched together. The Chinese girl fell twice and got a score of 6.8. Eric knew Alexa could beat that in her sleep. 

Alexa did beat that. She got silver with a final score of 8.5, losing only to the girl from Japan who got an 8.9. Eric celebrated with the American coaches and hugged Alexa after the medal ceremony as she cried. She was ecstatic. 

Then came the scary part. The girls ceremony ended at 5:15, leaving Eric and his competitors only a half an hour to warm up. Eric rushed to the locker room where his outfit, warm up outfit, practice skates, and routine skates were waiting. He put on his warm up gear in silence and made his way to the ice. 

His Russian and Chinese competitors were already warming up when he got there. The skater from the Philippines arrived only moments later. 

Eric watched his competitors fall several times but never let them see him go down. Falling was no longer an option. 

At 5:45 a whistle blew indicating that practice was over. As Eric skated off the ice he let his eyes scan the almost full stands for Jack, and when their eyes met he felt something flow through his veins, a newfound determination. He would win this for Jack. 

He undressed from his warm up gear quickly and put on his performance outfit. The top was gold with sparkly white lace accents and tight sleeves that went down to his wrists. It was based on one of Beyonce's tour outfits. The bottoms were black tight spandex leggings with gold rhinestones numerous around his waist that faded into black the lower down his legs. His skates were solid black. 

His stylist, Jenni, arrived moments after he was dressed and she worked her magic. She gelled his hair into place, put gold eyeshadow and gold eyeliner on his eyes. She even pressed some small gold rhinestones, like the ones on his pants, onto the skin around his eyes. She stepped back when her work was finished, a smile on her face. 

"You look great kid, go kick ass." 

Eric examined himself in the mirror on the wall. He had to admit, he looked pretty good. The top was tight enough to emphasize his strong, muscular figure, making him more intimidating than just 'the short American kid.' 

He thanked Jenni, before putting on and zipping up his jacket, and going to sit wear his team and coaches were waiting. He was scheduled to skate third in the line up. 

His coach, Katya, hugged him when he arrived, assuring him that if he skated the way he did during practice, there was no way he could lose. Eric just hoped she was right. 

The Russian skater, favored to win gold on his home turf, went first. He skated to a haunting song Eric didn't recognize. Eric was nervous but now more determined. When the Russian fell during his triple Lutz, Eric felt something in his gut loosen. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Katya just rubbed his shoulder. 

The Russian scored a 8.9, even with the fall. Eric's best score ever was only three tenths above that with a 9.2. He was holding his breath again. 

The Filipino lost his balance on his triple Axel and his routine was kind of sloppy, not as tight as the Russian's. He received a 7.5.

Then it was Eric's turn. He took off his jacket and handed it to Katya. He rolled out his shoulders and walked to the edge of the ice waiting for his name to be called. 

"And now, from the United States of America and favored for silver, two-time gold winner at the junior Olympics, 18-year-old, Eric Bittle. 

Eric stepped off onto the ice, a smile on his face as he waved to the cheering crowd. He took his place at center ice, smiling at the judges, before letting his arms stretch out beside him. He was counting in his head as the into to 1+1 began, then he was off. 

He glided around the rink like it was made of air with a grace usually only seen in ballet dancers. He felt a knot in his stomach as he came up to his triple axle but didn't let it show on his face. He stuck it. 

He carried himself on the ice like the weight of the world was long behind him. We skated weightless. Not once did he stumble or trip or fall. Not once was he unsure of his feet or if he would land how he wanted. He skated flawlessly. And all he could think about was Jack. 

He spun on the ice like there was a turn table blow his skates. He landed his triple salchow so perfectly he felt it in his gut there was no way he could lose. Jack was right, he was unstoppable. 

As I Was Here was drawing to a close, the only major jump he had left was his triple Lutz. He had landed the double perfectly earlier in his routine and felt no pressure going into the triple. The moment his feet left the ice he knew he had it. He stuck it and skated backwards, his left foot up behind him. 

He made his way back to center ice and spun in tight circles, starting low than lifting his leg up behind him and over his head. He spun for the last fifteen seconds of the song then abruptly stopped, facing the judges with his legs crossed behind him and his arms stretched out. 

The crowd roared as he broke from his final position. He gestured a thank you to the judges then skated around the edges of the rink as people threw roses at his feet. He was out of breath, and he was exhausted, but he knew no one could beat him now. He wiped his face, catching a rose in his hand, and then held both hands up in the air as he skated back to his coaches. He lowered one hand to his mouth and blew a kiss to Jack in the crowd, who was on his feet cheering and crying alongside the Bittle's and Zimmermann's. Then he scrambled off the ice into Katya and Alexa's waiting arms. 

He took the bouquet of roses someone handed him and walked with his coaches to the bench where he would find out his scores. There were a few cameras on him as he stood, waiting. He knew he was already crying, but he needed to know his score. Katya was holding his hand. 

When his score flashed up onto the monitor he dropped to his knees, his hands over his face as he cried out. 

9.98. 

Two hundredths of a point from a perfect ten. 

He could see himself on the screen above the rink and he looked like a beautiful mess. He was sobbing and cheering, and behind him his coaches and trainers were hugging. The screen changed to show Eric's parents, hugging each other and crying. Jack was beside them hugging his mother. 

Eric stood up and was led away by Katya back to team USA's area. The screen above the rink was now showing the Team USA watch party in one of the practice halls, how they jumped and cheered and hugged each other when Eric's score was shown on the screen. This was one for the history books. 

The Chinese skater went last, but no one was paying attention. When it was announced that the Chinese skater had gotten an 8.5, Eric let a new wave of tears hit him. He was officially an Olympic gold medalist. 

The Bittle's and Zimmermann's stayed in the crowd as they rolled out the carpet for the medal ceremony. Eric had changed out of his skates and was wearing his team USA jacket over his top now, but was still in his outfit as he was handed a small bouquet of flowers and was led out onto the ice. He could hear yelling behind him and he glanced to see the Canadian hockey team and Lardo all standing and cheering in the stands. He waved at them and they lost it. 

When Eric's name was called, he stepped up onto the podium in front of him, the Russian to his left and the Chinese to his right. The crowd cheered again as he raised his arms above his head, waving his flowers. 

He bowed his head as the gold medal was placed around his neck and had to wipe his eyes as he looked down at his laying against his chest. 

When the Star Spangled Banner began to play, Eric held his hand firmly over his heart and sang along, tears rolling down his cheeks as the American Flag rose above him. 

When the ceremony was over and all the pictures were taken, Eric found himself in the empty locker room where he kept his stuff. He took off his medal and placed it carefully beside his bag, then began getting undressed. 

He had already taken off his entire outfit, put on his skinny jeans, and was in the process of fixing his inside out shirt when the door opened. Eric looked up quickly and there was Jack, his hair falling in his face and tears still on his cheeks. 

Eric threw his shirt down and ran at his boyfriend. Jack caught him effortlessly and spun him around, his hands pressing into Eric's bare back. When Eric's feet were back on the ground he wrapped his arms around the back Jack's neck and pulled him down to kiss him. It was sweet and slow and all too perfect. 

Jack broke the kiss but still held Eric as tight as he could. 

"I love you so much." Jack whispered into Eric's hair. Eric just pulled him impossibly closer. 

Eventually they let go of one another, and Jack watched as Eric fixed his shirt and pulled it on, followed by his jacket, and finally his gold medal. He folded his outfits and put them in his duffle before meeting Jack halfway across the room and taking his hand. They kissed once before leaving the room and meeting their parents outside the door. 

They ate dinner in the food court with their parents, people of all nations congratulating Eric on his gold as he went by. After dinner, they said goodbye to their tired parents before heading back to their room. 

The instant the door was closed Jack was on Eric, pushing his back against the door and cupping his cheeks and he kissed him. Eric pulled off his wind breaker without breaking their kiss as Jack did the same. Eric pushed forward and walked Jack backward until his knees hit the bed. Eric pushed him down and Jack laid sprawled out as Eric took off his medal and put it on his bedside table and tugged off his shirt. Then he leaned over the bed, settling himself between Jack's knees and holding himself above Jack with his arms as Jack leaned up and kissed him. 

When Eric let his arms give out, Jack flipped them, letting Eric lay on the bed as Jack pulled off his own shirt and then leaned forward, pressing their bare chests together. They kissed hungrily, their legs slotted together and their hands all over. Jack left one hand on Eric's ass and let the other trace lines down his back, while Eric had his hands tangled in Jack's hair. 

Then Eric yawned. 

Jack barked out a laugh as Eric's face went red. 

"Sorry sweetheart I didn't realize," yawn, "how tired I was." 

Jack cupped Eric's face softly and smiled. 

"It's alright, mon cœur, it's been a long day." Eric just nodded with a soft smile on his face. 

They both stood up from the bed and took off their shoes and pants slowly then crawled into the bed in just their briefs. 

Jack wrapped his arms around Eric as Eric looked at him softly. 

"You did so good, Eric. I knew you were an amazing skater but today you just- how did you even do that?" Jack's voice was soft and their noses were almost touching. 

Eric blushed slightly. 

"I was thinkin about you." 

Jack melted. 

"God, I love you so much." He pressed a small kiss to the corner of Eric's mouth. 

"I love you too, honey." Eric smiled and kissed Jack for real, soft and slow and sweet. 

They fell asleep tucked into one another, Jack's face in Eric's hair, Eric's head tucked into Jack's neck. Jack's arms were wrapped around Eric's shoulders and Eric's around Jack's waist. Totally and blissfully in love. 

Their gold medals sat on the night stand, one slightly on top of the other. 

They were officially the best in the world, the worlds most decorated power couple, and that didn't mean a thing to either of them. As long as they had each other, that'd be perfect enough.


End file.
